ᐅ Feedback on Floor Plan – Are Size and Price Acceptable?
Created on: 28 Apr 2020 09:19
J
JohannFugger
Hello dear house building forum,
After a promising start working with our architect, there has been a significant drop in performance lately, and we’re no longer sure if he is really doing his best to achieve the optimal result for us.
--> Time for the house building forum!
Attached are the floor plans for the granny flat, first floor, attic, and exterior views.
Where we started / Basic information:
- Single-family home with shared wall – one child (10)
- Slightly sloped site – ideal for a small granny flat for later use by our child or for rental
- Roof pitch 38° – gable roof
- South-facing slope
- Plot approx. 650sqm (7000 sqft)
- The small extension at the rear living area on the ground floor came about because the neighbors want to build a noticeably longer house, so we’re trying to visually soften the resulting wall at our terrace
- My wife had a slipped disc, so we decided to plan a laundry chute from the basement to the first floor. The washing machines should definitely stay in the basement
- We are currently planning a simple gas heating system, photovoltaic system, and central mechanical ventilation with heat recovery
- Gas fireplace
- Open-plan design
Our main concerns at the moment:
- Is the size appropriate? On the plans, it all looks quite nice, but when the architect estimates a price of 545,000 EUR, it makes us wonder if everything really adds up. (The building plot also had to be paid for)
- Do you find the exterior look harmonious and balanced?
- Do you think a wardrobe of this size on the first floor is sufficient?
- We have currently commissioned the architect only up to phase 4 – do you think it makes sense to have him carry out the other construction phases as well, or should we rather hire an external construction expert? Phases 5 to 9 alone would cost another 45,000 EUR, which seems quite high to me.
We are already looking forward to your feedback and an open discussion!
Best regards
JohannFugger
After a promising start working with our architect, there has been a significant drop in performance lately, and we’re no longer sure if he is really doing his best to achieve the optimal result for us.
--> Time for the house building forum!
Attached are the floor plans for the granny flat, first floor, attic, and exterior views.
Where we started / Basic information:
- Single-family home with shared wall – one child (10)
- Slightly sloped site – ideal for a small granny flat for later use by our child or for rental
- Roof pitch 38° – gable roof
- South-facing slope
- Plot approx. 650sqm (7000 sqft)
- The small extension at the rear living area on the ground floor came about because the neighbors want to build a noticeably longer house, so we’re trying to visually soften the resulting wall at our terrace
- My wife had a slipped disc, so we decided to plan a laundry chute from the basement to the first floor. The washing machines should definitely stay in the basement
- We are currently planning a simple gas heating system, photovoltaic system, and central mechanical ventilation with heat recovery
- Gas fireplace
- Open-plan design
Our main concerns at the moment:
- Is the size appropriate? On the plans, it all looks quite nice, but when the architect estimates a price of 545,000 EUR, it makes us wonder if everything really adds up. (The building plot also had to be paid for)
- Do you find the exterior look harmonious and balanced?
- Do you think a wardrobe of this size on the first floor is sufficient?
- We have currently commissioned the architect only up to phase 4 – do you think it makes sense to have him carry out the other construction phases as well, or should we rather hire an external construction expert? Phases 5 to 9 alone would cost another 45,000 EUR, which seems quite high to me.
We are already looking forward to your feedback and an open discussion!
Best regards
JohannFugger
11ant schrieb:
On the other hand, I am naturally interested in the first architect’s design, and I also read a hint suggesting some shared responsibility on the communication side.
Do you mean that the confusion between cubic meters and square meters is behind the calculation not adding up? No, no. Although I recently heard a rather unfortunate story from an acquaintance whose architect admitted just one week before submitting the building permit / planning permission application that he had been calculating using net prices. Well, that meant they had to start over, and the architect lost almost 4000 EUR. :-P
I just wanted to offer some help to him. In the forum, calculations or estimations are often done using square meters, which can be hard to translate for someone not familiar with it, especially when the architect always talks about gross volume. That’s why I thought such a number might also be useful.
But it doesn’t change the outcome.
J
JohannFugger28 Apr 2020 15:0511ant schrieb:
On the other hand, I am of course interested in the first architect’s design, and partly I read a hint of some shared responsibility on the communication level.To be honest, I’ve thought about that too. We gave the first architect complete freedom, and the result was completely off from our ideas and needs (it was actually planned to be even larger). He didn’t want to revise it—so the only solution was to part ways. Having learned from that experience, we provided the new architect with more information and Pinterest images. You all know the rest by now...J
JohannFugger28 Apr 2020 15:07face26 schrieb:
In the forum, people often calculate or estimate using square meters. For someone unfamiliar with the topic, this can be hard to relate to when the architect always refers to cubic volume. That’s why I thought having such a figure might also be helpful. Is this square meter guideline net or gross?
JohannFugger schrieb:
and that completely missed our ideas/needsStill possibly worth showing and maybe more suitable in conceptual parts to build upon.JohannFugger schrieb:
Having learned from the incident, we provided the new architect with more information and Pinterest images. You all know the rest by now...I would say it backfired.face26 schrieb:
when the architect confessed to my friend just one week before the building permit application that he had calculated using net prices.Then you just buy the house at the electronics store, since shortly after New Year they usually give you the VAT for free.face26 schrieb:
Yeah, they had to go back to start and the architect didn’t even get 4000 EUR.You won a beauty contest. Go directly to jail.https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
JohannFugger schrieb:
Is that square meter guideline net or gross?No, that’s already gross. Here’s an example so you understand the approach:
Single-family house 150m² (1,615 sq ft) * 2,200 = 330,000
Basement (usable area only) = 70,000
Garage = 30,000
Outdoor facilities = 20,000
Additional construction costs = 40,000
Total = 490,000
Add a 10% buffer and round up to 550k.
This is just an example for a single-family house without any extras, on a relatively flat plot.
If you add things like a fireplace, KNX system, external blinds, bay windows, etc., you can add more on top.
A sloped plot is always a big question mark. For you, +50,000 to 100,000 is a rough estimate—I’m not an expert.
You can break down everything and say “I’ll do the electrical installation myself,” but in the end, it’s just a guideline.
face26 schrieb:
Pure gut feeling, I’m not an expert.Nothing is as useful in construction as experts with gut feeling.https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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